The Sports Xchange

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Before Sunday night, the last time the Green Bay Packers defense saw Marshawn Lynch, he was running away for a 24-yard touchdown that was one of many key plays in the Seattle Seahawks’ stunning 28-22 overtime win in the NFC Championship on Jan. 18.

Lynch gashed Green Bay for 157 yards in 25 carries.

In the NFC heavyweights’ rematch Sunday night, Lynch didn’t even sniff 50 rushing yards for the game.

The Packers embraced a swarming mentality to hold Lynch to 41 yards in 15 carries in their 27-17 victory over the Seahawks on Sunday night at Lambeau Field.

According to Packers’ linebacker Clay Matthews, the success against Lynch was as simple as “don’t let him get going.”

“I think, for the most part, we did a great job of forcing him to not have his choice of gaps and being smart with and trying to dictate where he runs the ball,” Matthews added.

“Obviously, he’s a great runner, and he does a fantastic job of breaking tackles. I thought, for the most part, we did a great job of rallying to him and getting him down and limiting his rush yards.”

The increased attention given to Lynch did result in some lapses for the Packers when confronted by Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson on a steady diet of read-option runs, primarily in the second half when Seattle erased a 13-3 halftime deficit and briefly went ahead 17-13.

Wilson had 10 carries for a team-high 78 yards.

“You’ve got to give ’em credit on that because they came out in the second half and they hit us with a few wrinkles,” nose tackle B.J. Raji said. “That’s just a good team making a good adjustment.

“But, eventually, we made an adjustment, and we were able to keep that under wraps.”

When Wilson had to go back to throwing the football after the Packers regained the lead at 24-17 with 9 1/2 minutes left in the final quarter, unheralded linebacker Jayrone Elliott put the Seahawks away.

Elliott produced takeaways in Seattle’s final two possessions.

The second-year undrafted player had a lunging, one-handed interception of Wilson’s screen pass to Lynch with less than seven minutes to go.

Elliott later chased down running back Fred Jackson on a catch-and-run in Green Bay territory and punched the football out for a fumble recovered by the Packers in the final minute.

“It feels pretty good, to be on the national stage and show guys I can compete,” Elliott said.

“A guy like me, an undrafted guy, I’m trying to get my name out there a little bit, trying to show guys I can compete at a high level and do whatever it takes to help this team win,” he added.

–Kicker Mason Crosby etched his name in a prominent place in the Packers record book.

On the strength of scoring 13 points on Sunday with four field goals and an extra point, Crosby is the team’s all-time scoring leader. He came into the game needing 10 points to tie Ryan Longwell.

Crosby has 1,057 points in his ninth pro season, the same number of seasons logged by Longwell with the Packers until 2005.

“This is just kind of surreal, thinking about the fact that I hold that record,” said Crosby, whose first field goal Sunday came from 54 yards.

NOTES: Linebacker Joe Thomas signed with the Packers. The 6-foot, 1, 227-pound first year player out of South Carolina originally signed with Green Bay as an undrafted free agent on May 12, 2014, and spent part of the 2014 season on the Packers’ practice squad. He re-signed with Green Bay on Jan. 20, 2015, before being released on Sept. 5, 2015. Thomas spent the first two weeks of the season on the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad. He will wear No. 48 for the Packers. … Running back Eddie Lacy sprained his right ankle early in Sunday’s game and did not return. Multiple reports Monday indicated X-rays taken on Lacy’s ankle were negative, but the severity of the injury and how much time the team’s lead back may be out remain unclear. … Right tackle Brian Bulaga didn’t play and is expected to be sidelined for up to six weeks. The veteran starter suffered an injury to his left knee in practice Thursday. … Wide receiver Davante Adams sustained an ankle injury early in the second quarter on Sunday. … Strong safety Morgan Burnett started Sunday after missing the opener because of a calf injury. … Defensive lineman DL Josh Boyd was taken off the field on cart in the second quarter on Sunday because of an ankle injury.